Nonlinear interactions among solar acoustic modes

Abstract

The rates at which nonlinear interactions transfer energy among the normal modes of a plane-parallel, stratified atmosphere are evaluated. It is shown that every p-mode in the 5-minute band is involved in many near-resonant triplets, and, as a consequence, the energy transfer rates are independent of the mode line widths. It is also found that nonlinear mode coupling cannot limit the growth of overstable p-modes, which favors the hypothesis that the sun's p-modes are stochastically excited by turbulent convection.